


Runtime Issues

by grimorie



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-20
Updated: 2014-12-20
Packaged: 2018-03-02 09:49:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2808116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grimorie/pseuds/grimorie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Root's on a deadline but she keeps running into one consistent problem.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Runtime Issues

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rdalvi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rdalvi/gifts).



> Apologies to every programmer/developer out there this all came out of inspiration and cursory reading on programming.
> 
> Thanks to mlamachine for the handholding and offering suggestions! They all helped:)

" _Miss Groves, any progress?_ " Harold's voice was pitched low and curious. Root heard the ambient sounds over the comms line and she imagined he was in a room full of people who would not look favourably on a man talking to himself. Somewhere Root deduced John, lurking like an obvious but dull lamp post, would be watching over Harry.

Root took her eyes from her new problem. Its not entirely new thing, this problem, but it was something that developed in intensity like a low pressure area gathering in strength to become a storm. She blinked to refocus and she reviewed the line of code she typed in, the cursor blinking at where it rested.

"Patience, Harry." Root said, injecting levity into her voice.

" _I would think you would be done by now,_ " there was an element of impatience in his voice, and annoyance too.

Root's new-old problem moved, grabbing a cloth to wipe down a handgun. The problem that is Sameen Shaw developed into a full blown distraction in a manner Root didn't expect.

Shaw wasn't even doing anything out of the ordinary, except that she was in the same space as Root, breathing the same air as Root.

But Root was on the clock and she can't afford to delay, she needed to finish the new program or risk compromising Harold's identity.

The program was supposed to be a webapp with a hidden worm that will burrow into a computer's OS after the user triggered several key functions, it was a variation of her Null Worm virus and it was something that should take Root less time than she was taking now.

Except Root didn't count on Shaw. Since the night they spent together Root found she was more hyper aware of Shaw. Her mere presence was enough to throw Root off. It was distracting, annoying, and at the same time having Shaw around made her skin hum.

If Root wasn't so aware of the time ticking away, she would have done something to make Shaw as off center as she felt.

Except they needed the program done.

Except Root's awareness of Shaw kept tugging at Root.

The thing that caught Root's ire was this: Shaw wasn't doing anything exceptional. Shaw was only cleaning a gun. Shaw dismantling the handgun, hands breaking down the gun with quick, economical movement shouldn't be this _distracting_ , it shouldn't make Root pause in the midst of trying to recall the algorithm she needed to use, and stare.

She shook off her daze and typed but chanced another glance at Shaw.

The computer let out a protesting beep and she turned to look, a dialog box appeared on the monitor and she had accidentally hit the wrong button.

"Shit."

Shaw paused in her cleaning to quirk an eyebrow at her, there was a shadow of amusement. "Everything alright there?"

Root glanced at the clock on the second screen, Harold subsided into silence."Peachy."

Shaw finished cleaning her weapon and set it aside, Root put her head down when Shaw stood up. She paced around the subway lair and Root couldn't help but track her in the corner of her eye.

"Are you done yet?"

Root casted her focus back on the screen, made a few alterations to the code she worked on, building on a rhythmic click clack of Harold's keyboard. She missed her own rig.

"Well?" Shaw demanded, annoyed.

"Patience, Sameen," Root answered when Shaw walked into view. Everyone was so impatient.

Shaw scowled and picked up a yellow ball. "I can be patient but this is taking time."

Bear trotted to Shaw's feet when he noticed the yellow ball and sat on his haunches, anticipating the throw that would send him scrambling down the tunnel.

Root waited until Shaw tossed the yellow ball, Bear ran after it.

"I know how patient you can be," Root said, her voice pitched low in a tone Root knew Shaw recognized.

Shaw snapped her head up to stare at Root. Root fluttered her eyes at Shaw and gave her a cheeky grin. Bear bounced back to Shaw, yellow ball in his mouth but Shaw didn't notice. Bear nudged at Shaw's hand, Shaw blinked and looked down as if she just realized Bear was waiting on her patiently to throw the ball again.

Root was pleased at seeing Shaw just a little bit rattled, a little bit thrown. She found that it put some equilibrium to her mental state and in the ensuing silence broken by the sound of Bear running around in excitement Root finally found the focus she was missing.

"Well," Shaw's voice said, startling Root out of the Zen like zone state she was in. The burr of Shaw's voice vibrating clearly in Root's ear and Root felt the tickle going down her spine. "I hope you remember how _impatient_ I can be too."

Root turned her head and found that Shaw was closer in proximity than she anticipated. Shaw's mouth was an inch away from her own and Root felt the frisson between them, the tension between action and inaction.

"I thought you want me to finish faster," she answered, tone impish.

There was a ghost of a smirk at the corner of Shaw's lips, it tugged at Root like a magnet and just as she closed the gap Shaw turned her head. Root felt her lips graze Shaw's cheek, she felt Shaw's weight on her shoulder as Shaw leaned in and reach for the coffee mug on Harold's desk with her.

"Then you should," Shaw said, as she straightened, keeping her eyes on Root, "finish faster."

Root's mouth suddenly felt dry, she swallowed painfully.

Shaw whistled to Bear and Bear bounced near them, Shaw tossed the yellow ball again. "Keep workin', Root. Stop staring at my ass."

Root wasn't staring, but _now_ she was.

Root followed Shaw's movement all the way to the lair's makeshift kitchen and watched Shaw upend the mug in the sink. The coffee sloshed into the sink as she opened the faucet and rinsed the mug before moving to the fancy coffeemaker that was so incongruent to everything else in the kitchen.

All ordinary, mundane things. Things that shouldn't catch Root's attention but every move Shaw did fascinated Root endlessly. It was like Shaw was a virus and she infected Root's systems so completely and only a complete and total reboot would remove Shaw from Root's blood. 

" _Miss Groves, are you finished?_ " Harold's voice intruded again, jolting Root back to her work and she ticked her eyes back to the screen. She suddenly felt both like she was caught with her hand in the cookie jar and a student taken to task.

Root added in a line of code as sudden inspiration hit.

" _Miss Groves?_ "

"Surprisingly, Harry," she said, imitating his tone from the night they infiltrated OTPS, "nagging me doesn't help one bit."

There was a silence, exasperated and annoyed, " _Root--_ "

Root added in a few keystrokes and that did it.

"The program's compiling now," she said.

There was an audible sigh of relief, which Root honestly thought was premature since she still needed to hand the USB to Harold." _Were there any complications?_ "

Harold speak for: What took you so long?

"I had some unexpected setbacks, Harry."

" _Setbacks?_ "

"Distractions, Finch," Shaw said popping next to Root. Root found the initial hitch of surprise pleasing.

" _What could you possibly be distracted by?_ " He asked bewildered. 

" _Finch,_ " John's voice came over the line, " _do you really want to know?_ "

Before Harold can say anything Root said, "Hey, Harry, your target is walking away." 

Root heard Harold curse, " _Hurry, Miss Groves_."

She spun Harold's chair around and stood, forcing Shaw back a step as Root occupied almost the same space as Shaw, breathing the same air as Shaw. If this was something that would plague her internal systems every day of her life, it wasn't so bad. 

Shaw swiped the USB from Root's hand, "Let's jet."

Root gave her a crooked grin, "Your words are always so poetic." 

She rolled her eyes but Root saw the ghost of a smile and it kept Root apace with Shaw. 

-##-


End file.
